Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat vowed Saturday, March 10, before the Palestinian parliament to pursue administrative reform and ensure the independence of the judiciary. "The Palestinian authority and myself put the justice reforms at the top of our priorities", Arafat said.

"In spite of the efforts which go into facing the Israeli aggression, we are determined to continue to reform all the national institutions", he added. He also said, "Nobody is above the law nor has the right to interfere with justice. Let it be clear to all".

Arafat's pledge came after calls from several Palestinian movements to crackdown on corruption in the Palestinian Authority.

On January 28, 13 Palestinians movements — including Arafat's Fatah and the radical Muslim movements Islamic Jihad and Hamas — called on the Palestinian leader to fight against corruption and mismanagement in the Palestinian Authority.

A month later, nearly a third of the roughly 500 members of the Palestine Liberation Organization's national council, an assembly of Palestinians in the territories and living abroad, called on the Palestinian Authority to put an end to its mismanagement of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. — (AFP, Gaza City)